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March 28, 2024, 11:48:05 AM

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Jackie Chan

Started by Chedney Honks, December 19, 2020, 04:50:54 PM

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Chedney Honks

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on February 05, 2021, 11:34:16 AM
Miracles is probably my favourite JC film - sumptuous and the cinematography is amazing.

Thanks for this, man. What a superb film. I think most of all, it's that the non-action sequences are beautiful and narratively very engaging. Really great stuff, and one I know I'll watch several times before I'm dead.

Mr_Simnock


Chedney Honks

What do you mean 'if nothing else'

greenman

They do seem to have picked up that multi film box sets sell well, I'd imagine they'd have put Wheels on Meals and Dragons Forever together if they'd had the rights to the latter.

There are actually quite a few late 80's Sammo films that havent gotten a proper UK release as far as I'm aware, stuff like Pedicab Driver, Millionaires Express or Paper Marriage which are all productions not far off of the better known Golden Harvest stuff, wonder if someone will try and pick them up now.

Chedney Honks

Not quite sure why it took me so long to watch the second half of Project A, but I suppose I've been watching lots of different stuff. I actually started it again and I do think it takes a good while to get going. Not that keen on the opening stuff with the coastguards and coppers but once you get to the boot camp, you're on your way. The bicycle sequence culminating in the clock tower is as good as the end of Police Story, I reckon. I was laughing with disbelief. What a rush. Some great comedy, as well. Sammo and Jackie were great in the middle third and then the whole last act was a riot, superb blend of action and comedy.

Another film I can't wait to put on with my brothers or my mates when we can. I really wish I'd watched this growing up. Joyous stuff.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: greenman on February 14, 2021, 10:57:25 AM
There are actually quite a few late 80's Sammo films that havent gotten a proper UK release as far as I'm aware, stuff like Pedicab Driver, Millionaires Express or Paper Marriage which are all productions not far off of the better known Golden Harvest stuff, wonder if someone will try and pick them up now.

Don't hold your breath on Pedicab Driver - Warner hold the rights and they rarely license stuff out.  If anything there might be a blu-ray release through their Warner Archive label (they have previously released a DVD through the same), but it'll be at the back of a VERY long queue and it will likely be released in the US only, so you'll have to import (all Warner Archive blus are, as far as I know, region free though, so it's just the ballache of however much all the mandatory taxes will cost).

There have been lots of rumours about Millionaires Express getting a blu release in the last couple of years, but still no news.  Both 88 and Eureka have released stuff in that same overall rights package, so hopefully it's only a matter of time we get a release before the license deal runs out.

Paper Marriage apparently sits with Star TV, a company I've heard of but don't know their track record when it comes to releasing or licensing.  Flicking through other films they have on IMDB, it's roughly a 50/50 mix of "boutique release likely" and "fuck no, not in a million years".  This one may also depend on anticipated sales - been a LONG time since I've seen it (either HK VCD or laserdisc back in the mid to late 90s), but from memory it's one of those ones that doesn't travel too well for Western audiences (also cf. pretty much every Hui brothers film).

Chedney Honks

Quote from: Chedney Honks on December 27, 2020, 04:51:48 PM
The Young Master

This labour of love fancy boy version is coming out in Jan via 88 Films so I've preordered it:



This turned up after the release was delayed and it's another corker. Again, another JC I'd not seen and I couldn't turn it off last night. Beautiful picture and colours and while there always seems to be some inherent softness to these 70s/80s HK films in some wider shots (Lenses? Film stock?), in the medium/closer shots, there's a superb amount of detail.

In terms of the film itself, I thought it was excellent. More traditional kung fu, very little comedy, and not on the primo level of Drunken Master, nor the top tier stuff with Sammo and Yuen Biao, but it's very entertaining. The opening lion dance sequence is remarkable.

As a set, I'm not bothered about the cards and poster but the little book seems excellent so far. Loads of essays and commentary and context for the film and Jackie's career. Packaging and artwork is also probably my favourite of all the Eureka or 88 JC releases. Really solid recommendation.

petercussing

#97
Hurrays! Glad you enjoyed it as much as i do, great film, plus you get to watch him have a wash for ages in a funny bath. The dragon bits are great. It does defo hang squarely in the middle of being funny and kung fu-y. I give it 613 kung fu chops out of 641, which is a good rating, i mean, you'd defo be dead after that many chops.

It was about the 4th Chan movie i'd seen in my young chan life and always stuck with me like some glues you glue with.

Magnum Valentino

Know what I always see in the HK Jackie Chan films - shots where the image is compressed at the sides of the frame, almost as though the image itself is curved, and it's really weird to see when the camera moves at all as whatever's occupying that space sort of 'fills out' as more thin, compressed figures enter the shot.

The recently reissued The Masque of the Red Death (great new edition from Studio Canal, highly recommended) also has one or two shots like this. Wonder if it's the lenses or stock or what, as mentioned above.

MojoJojo

Golden Harvest was started by someone splitting off from Shaw brothers, who used Shawscope - as seen at the beginning of Kill Bill. The lens were arranged differently than they were with CinemaScope in the west. Assuming Golden Harvest used similar equipment, that might explain it. It's probably something to do with anamorphic widescreen, anyway.

Sebastian Cobb

Did you watch The Fatal Flying Guillotine in the end Honks?

Widening this to general Kung Fu, I'm going to go with Righting Wrongs / Above the Law.

Chedney Honks

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on March 11, 2021, 12:31:48 PM
Did you watch The Fatal Flying Guillotine in the end Honks?

Widening this to general Kung Fu, I'm going to go with Righting Wrongs / Above the Law.

I haven't yet, because I'm waiting for a BD release, to be honest. Is it definitely the remake you're recommending? I nearly picked up the 88 Films release of The Flying Guillotine but I'm sure that's a different thing, not just an alternate name.

I read that there will be some great HK surprises coming to Eureka and 88 this year, so hoping for some more news soon.

Got the Eureka Blu ray of 'City Hunter' and the 88 films Blu of 'Crime Story' in the post yesterday, haven't seen either in about ten years, remember them being interesting left turns for Jackie, and they fall within what I've always presumed to be his peak years of 1978-1995 so looking forward to seeing if they hold up. Will report back once I've got round to watching them

Magnum Valentino

City Hunter is worth seeing for the Street Fighter hallucination and the comedy relief character being cheered by a gaggle of onlookers after boasting of his intention to rape the woman he fancies.

Chedney Honks

Sounds good. I guess that's the Chun Li dress up bit I've seen pictures of.

Still got a couple more Jackie on my shelf but I'll get to them in time, defo.


Quote from: Magnum Valentino on March 13, 2021, 09:24:50 AM
City Hunter is worth seeing for the Street Fighter hallucination and the comedy relief character being cheered by a gaggle of onlookers after boasting of his intention to rape the woman he fancies.

Oh shit, I remember that bit. Wong Jing, absolute maniac.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Chedney Honks on March 13, 2021, 07:23:27 AM
I haven't yet, because I'm waiting for a BD release, to be honest. Is it definitely the remake you're recommending? I nearly picked up the 88 Films release of The Flying Guillotine but I'm sure that's a different thing, not just an alternate name.

I read that there will be some great HK surprises coming to Eureka and 88 this year, so hoping for some more news soon.

It's this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGSJg8x2CdI

I think there has been a bluray release relatively recently, for years that was about the best quality you could get but I've got a sharp but a bit grainy 1080p rip of it now, I guess the original video transfer must've been crap because it looked like it had been shot on a camcorder but this scan has good contrast and almost saturated colour rather than looking washed out.

Magnum Valentino

Watched The Young Master this morning, my first 88 Films Blu-ray ever. I see they have a rake of Jackie Chan films, what are the best four or five worth checking out?

Much of the Jackie on 88 films are his less famous films, although bloody wonderful that we can appreciate the better moments in them all the more now that they're not on terrible pan and scan DVDs anymore. Of the 88 films selection the better ones will be the ones he directed, Fearless Hyena, Young Master, Dragon Lord, Miracles, Operation Condor. Although there's a couple of other worthwhile films he didn't direct on 88, Dragons Forever and Crime Story (and I have a soft spot for Heart of Dragon but... expectations adjusted accordingly). Most of the Jackie Chan-starring films before 1978 are pretty shoddy and best avoided, and a good chunk of the 88 films catalogue is those films in pristine versions, more for the hardcore collector than anyone else really.

Anyway, a top five of Jackie Chan and I hope others will share their own favourites too:

1) Police Story [1985]
2) Drunken Master [1978]
3) Wheels on Meals [1984]
4) Drunken Master II [1994]
5) Project A [1983]

Bit of 'safe' list of consensus favourites but if anyone is starting out with Chan those are the obvious ones to go for I think.

If you've already seen all these and are just wondering what the best 88 sets are, it has to be Miracles at the top because it's Chan's best looking film looking the best it has ever looked, with multiple cuts and dubs to enjoy as well. Dragons Forever is another favourite that has never looked so amazing as it has on the 88 Blu.

Magnum Valentino

Thanks chum, that top 5 were the only 5 I owned before I bought Young Master, I'll take a look at the others you mention for sure.

To be honest I love the components and settings for these films enough that I'll likely end up getting most of them anyway. Miracles and Dragons Forever first up though.

Chedney Honks

Decision already made I can see, but I would totally agree! 88 are doing some awesome work but Eureka defo have the top tier movies.

By the way, Warner are restoring and releasing Drunken Master 2, which is brilliant news. I got the HK release a while back which is a great version, looks excellent, but the more availability the better.

cosmic-hearse

Haven't seen it in many years, but I always loved Armour of God, an Indiana Jonesesque slapstick in which Chan nearly dies.

checkoutgirl

Quote from: cosmic-hearse on April 08, 2021, 08:42:53 PM
Haven't seen it in many years, but I always loved Armour of God, an Indiana Jonesesque slapstick in which Chan nearly dies.

Good call, that's a cracker. Is that the one with the scene about Chinese cheese?

Chedney Honks

Quote from: cosmic-hearse on April 08, 2021, 08:42:53 PM
Haven't seen it in many years, but I always loved Armour of God, an Indiana Jonesesque slapstick in which Chan nearly dies.

Armour of God 2: Operations Condor had a great release on 88 Films but AOG is yet to arrive.

Magnum Valentino

Quote from: cosmic-hearse on April 08, 2021, 08:42:53 PM
Haven't seen it in many years, but I always loved Armour of God, an Indiana Jonesesque slapstick in which Chan nearly dies.

Is that where the tree branch snaps?

checkoutgirl

Do they show him being brought to hospital in the closing credits? Might be a false memory.

Armour of God is indeed the film where the tree branch snaps and the credits show an immobile Chan being stretchered off into an ambulance. I watched it again recently on my old Hong Kong Legends DVD and my god it drags like fuck in the middle after a strong beginning. Alan Tam is no Yuen Biao or Sammo. I'm not too enthused about the sequel either, and the third one, Chinese Zodiac, feels like it was scripted by the CCP. Pound for pound Jackie's worst film franchise (needless to say, if 88 eventually does an Armour of God blu ray, I will buy it).

Sonny_Jim

I wouldn't call myself a Jackie Chan fan, or even a kung fu movie fan, but I watched 'Jackie Chan - My Stunts' on Youtube last night and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The bit where he replaced a trained martial arts actor on the set with one of his 'boys' because 'his rhythm wasn't right'[nb]It was on a rooftop set, can't remember which movie.  The one he did before Rumble in the Bronx maybe?[/nb] I found unintentionally funny.  It seemed clear to me that the guy was too tall for him and Jackie just wanted to get his mate to do it instead.

Yes, that's a great bit, really fascinating to see that side of Jackie. Clearly he's a little bit intimidated by the martial artist's high kicks. The rooftop fight scene in that is from 'Who Am I?', the last decent film Jackie directed

Sonny_Jim

Yeah it's full of interesting little bits, like taping up the aluminium[nb]Aluminunum?  Alumanian?  Metal?  Metal[/nb] ladder to stop his hands getting cut up.  Also I had no idea about his circus background, which makes perfect sense now I think about it.